Examination Days: The New York African Free School Collection; Virtual field trip/scavenger hunt to the New York Historical Society Museum & Library

Welcome to Travel + Explore + Play with Sallee Jay where I am your host. I cannot believe that it is December already and that you have been rocking with me all year long! THANK YOU!!!

In looking at my year in review, it has been brought to my attention that my blog “Virtual Field Trip and Scavenger hunt: The Smithsonian -National Museum of Natural History,” is my most popular blog. In the spirit of giving the people what they want, I have decided to take you all on another virtual field trip and created a scavenger hunt so that you can join in the fun too!

Pack your virtual bag(s) and grab a snack as we head to New York to see New York Historical Society Museum & Library. The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum.

Currently, the museum has 21 online exhibitions that you can explore, in addition to a host of other activities and forums listed in the website. Follow along with me as we explore the “Examination Days: The New York African Free School Collection” According to the website, “In 1787, at a time when slavery was crucial to the prosperity and expansion of New York, the New York African Free School was created by the New York Manumission Society, a group dedicated to advocating for African Americans. The school's explicit mission was to educate black children to take their place as equals to white American citizens.

It began as a single-room schoolhouse with about 40 students, the majority of whom were the children of slaves, and by the time it was absorbed into the New York City public school system in 1835, it had educated thousands of children, a number of whom went on to become well known in the United States and Europe. The New-York Historical Society’s New York African Free School Collection preserves a rich selection of student work and community commentary about the school. This site showcases pages from Volume IV of the collection, Penmanship and Drawing Studies, 1816–1826, and tells the story of the school and of African American New York in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. “

Let’s begin by click on “learn about AFS history” and begin under the “Introduction”

Activity #1

Activity 1: Click” Philosophy of the African Free School” and find the name of the first principal of the school. Also name his replacement as principal and the reason for his resignation. I have included excerpts below so you can fill in the blanks.

The school was run by a black principal, ________________ , for many years. His appointment was a remarkable achievement for a black man at this moment in history, and sent a clear message that blacks could—and should—aspire to leadership positions.However, clashes with the Manumission Society led to his dismissal in 1809.

He was replaced by _____________, a white man, who would eventually argue that black children should consider resettling in Africa because New York offered such paltry opportunities. Often, school administrators took a condescending tone towards the parents of their students and seemed to encourage a sense of inferiority among the students themselves. He resigned in 1831.

Activity #2

Activity 2: Click on “History of the School,” and then click “curriculum,’ for the next set of fill in the blank activities.

“The school operated under the ______________ plan of education, which was designed by Joseph Lancaster in late-eighteenth-century England to provide a system for educating the lower classes.

___________ were advanced students who had shown particular promise, and were charged with both instructing younger students and maintaining discipline.

Also, be sure to read about a “day in the life of a New York African Free School Student,” it is very interesting to note how the day was split the varied curriculum for between female and male students.

Activity #3

We are almost out of the introduction section, the last stop, “Teachers vs Parents

Activity 3: FIll in the blank

Often it seemed that the members of the New York __________________ Society who oversaw the school's operations were more likely to see parents as big children to be patronized, instead of co-contributors to their children's education.

Activity #4

Activity #4: For this section, please read through the biographies of the men associated with the New York African School. Name the seven men listed in this section:

Alright one more activity and then we have to catch our return flight home. Lol

Activity #5

Activity 5: You must check out the archives. If you have trouble accessing them like I did, go to the classroom guides and access them there.

image 38 of 51 “Standards of Beauty” fill in the blank.

“s in so many areas of their education, New York African Free School students' art lessons about beauty and grace were based on white ___________ traditions and models. Nowhere in this volume do we find a portrait of a black subject.”

Thank you so much for traveling with me to New York to explore the New York Historical Society. I hope you learned something new today, I certainly did. If we want to change the current systems we have to understand how they were created, what a great glimpse into the education system.

Also be sure to check out the rest of the New York Historical Society website, they have so much to see and do!

Good Grief... Dealing with GRIEF in COVID

Today we are going to take a wellness journey. A mental check in of sorts. So buckle up and let’s go…

Why do have urgent care and hospitals for broken bones, but not for broken hearts? 💔

It sounds absurd to imagine a doctor looking at a broken leg and saying,

“Time heals all wounds,” or “Give it some time.” or my personal favorite, “You’ll get over it!”

Yet that’s exactly what people say to grievers.

People often treat a broken heart quite differently than they treat a physical ailment. And often we don’t acknowledge the grief associated with a broken heart.

My grief journey during Covid has been rough. To start, a dear friend and mentor of mine passed away in April, her name was Janice Buckner. Janice was 91 years old and lived a full life before entering the hospital in January. Even though we had a size-able age gap between us, she was one of my best friends. We would laugh and have a good time whenever we were together and she was my partner in crime and in Christ. This loss was so extremely hard for me because before COVID, I was able to visit her regularly, at least once a week. “Ma Buckner” as she was affectionately dubbed was my sunshine. And then COVID hit and quarantine measures went in place, I would call her room at the facility where she was staying and there would not be an answer. In the rare instance that I was able to get someone on the phone, I received very limited information and it was almost impossible to actually speak with her. When I did talk to her, she sounded broken, sad and confused, I wish I had one more chance to hold her hand.

Insert the murder of George Floyd‼️😡🤬😳😭

Then when I thought that life could not get any worse, I got a phone call that I would not have ever expected receive in this lifetime. My best friends father reached out to me on Facebook, telling me to give him a call because she was in the hospital and not doing well.

My soul told me at that point that she was gone. I got on my bike and road to one of my favorite places in the city to clear my mind and prepare for the call from her father to say last words. As soon as I arrived, my phone rang and Rachel’s dad immediately put the phone to her ear. Less than a week later one of my best friends in the world was gone forever. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about my friend. I miss her so much.

Don’t even get me started on #Breonna Taylor‼️ As a Black woman in America, my heartaches deeply daily.

After all of this loss and feelings of being broken hearted, I had to find something that would allow me to heal and address my grief. My therapist recommended resources, one of those resources being “The Grief Recovery Handbook,” by John W. James and Russell Friedman. I had been putting off reading the book, now after crying my eyes out and emptying my soul, I found the time. All I can say is, this book is a GAME CHANGER!!!!!

Being that I am in ministry and come from a family devoted to ministry m, I've worked with and been around grief all of my life. What this book helped me to reframe is what I classified as grief. Before reading this book, I only related grief to death and certain negative emotions. After this book, I now understand that grief encompasses the following as well:

• Loss of faith

• Loss of career and financial issues

• Loss of health

• Loss of relationship

• Growing up in an alcoholic or dysfunctional home

As well as so many other thangs‼️

I began to write “completion” letters and open up, let go and release old wounds. Through creating my “loss history graph” I was able to see patterns in my behavior and relationships and began to make changes immediately. I’ve received new revelations and I’m learning to embrace boundaries. Also, I’m learning to forgive myself for my very beautiful and flawed past.

Also communication is so key! That said, people have to be ready to dig deeper and go beyond surface level communication. I’ve had some very difficult conversations during this time and I appreciate the individuals in my life who are committed to continuing to do the work. I’ve had to grow past cutting off others and not speaking because we have a difference of opinion. The real work is in the conversation. I’ve had conversations with people after reading this book that I’d sworn off for a lifetime. Forgiveness as we know is for you, not the other person. I am glad I now have the space that I need to build and foster new relationships because I let go of old pain. Don’t get me wrong, every relationship is not for reconciliation but always worth the conversation.

Along with grief, we must learn to be more gracious during times of loss. Tomorrow is a new day to start all over again. Be gentle with yourself. Check on the people you love and care about and be true with your word. Let’s help heal one another’s broken-hearts.

I hold space for you all during this time. If you need me, I’m always a call, text, email or FaceTime away. 😘

We’re all on this life journey together. And it’s clear after this election more people need to heal and grieve the things of old. Life is a continuum, always moving forward. Let go of grief and embrace love, because you are worth it!

Be well!